The ones in the shops are pissy underpowered 250 or 350 watt units and expensive. I bought a hub motor kit from Luna Cycles in the US, 52 volt, 1500 watts and fitted it to my existing mountain bike. Goes extremely well and cost me about 1200 NZ. Has cruise control so you can pedal as much or as little as you like.

rosco62: The ones in the shops are pissy underpowered 250 or 350 watt units and expensive. I bought a hub motor kit from Luna Cycles in the US, 52 volt, 1500 watts and fitted it to my existing mountain bike. Goes extremely well and cost me about 1200 NZ. Has cruise control so you can pedal as much or as little as you like.

Hey, that's interesting to know. Could you break it down on what parts you got. Did the $1200 include delivery?

I currently commute most days, though don't have a great distance to travel - about 7km each way. I do have some large-ish hills to contend with though, and so I decided to pick up an e-bike as the hills can at times be a dissuading factor. It has been an interesting transition, but I have found it a lot easier and less strenuous e-biking - meaning I have biked more often than normal. I just use the e-assist on the hills, and the rest of the time I am off power. I purchased an Avanti Inc E, having had Inc 3 previously for my commute.

The Inc E has a Shimano Steps mid-drive system. The assist is limited to speeds under 25kph, which is fine for me, as I really only use it for the hilly portions of my travel, or if it is super windy. Otherwise I am over 25kph on the flats, so there is no need for it. But there are three different modes other than off - eco, normal and high. It gives you more assistance at each step, and going up hills is a bit of a breeze now days. I don't end up being overly hot or sweaty when I get to work now, compared to the effort I have had to put in previously, especially in Summer (not that there was much of a summer, but on the odd days that were actually hot). I'm don't use my ride as exercise so much as just being able to get to work in an active kind of manner and not in a car. So in that sense I don't really feel like it is cheating. If I want to go for a normal bike ride, I'll just get on another bike and have a proper ride, but having the assist has meant the commute certainly less arduous.

So far, I probably get around 160km or more on a charge, but then I only really use it for a small portion of the ride. I tend to charge the battery within 20% zone, so could probably get more mileage. I guess it will always vary depending on how much you use it and at what power level you choose. Also the Steps version only gives assistance when you pedal - it isn't throttle actuated.

So far so good for me, though I do feel guilty passing people going uphill. I always feel like Lance Armstrong or something.

rosco62: The ones in the shops are pissy underpowered 250 or 350 watt units and expensive. I bought a hub motor kit from Luna Cycles in the US, 52 volt, 1500 watts.

Just don't use it on the road. In New Zealand electric bikes are limited to 300 watts by law. Otherwise they are no longer considered bicycles, but more like motorbikes with the associated requirements of licensing and registration.

I enjoy cycling and am happy to do the work myself, but my wife had a back injury a couple of years ago and finds riding difficult on steep hills (like the one we live on). We've been thinking about getting an ebike so she can join me on weekend rides.

rosco62: The ones in the shops are pissy underpowered 250 or 350 watt units and expensive. I bought a hub motor kit from Luna Cycles in the US, 52 volt, 1500 watts.

Just don't use it on the road. In New Zealand electric bikes are limited to 300 watts by law. Otherwise they are no longer considered bicycles, but more like motorbikes with the associated requirements of licensing and registration.

Well that sucks about "electric motor with a maximum power not exceeding 300W". I quite a big guy and I could do with abit more extra power.

If you want more than 300w, you need to register the bike as a moped, which has a few extra requirements, such as turn signals etc. I think the limit is sensible, it's 250w in most other jurisdictions (except 'merica, if that's still a jurisdiction)